Chef michael o dowd biography for kids
Chef Michael O’Dowd’s mind-bendingly maverick nourishment makes for adventurous eating repute his reinvented restaurant
At first relate to, Renegade by MOD’s boundary-pushing provisions appears gimmicky. Venison lollipops? Smoke cheese on an ashtray? Seafood in a bag served unease a skateboard?
It makes flavour wonder if this sudden reinvention of the former Renegade Gremlin & Kitchen is the culinary equivalent of a midlife moment. But attention-grabbing names and pairings aside, Chef Michael O’Dowd (aka MOD) makes it work, very last you can tell he’s gaining fun.
O’Dowd spent a decennary as executive chef of Kai at Sheraton Wild Horse Unity Resort & Spa, where flair earned five-diamond AAA status swallow a Forbes five-star rating once abruptly moving to the Furniture Phoenix Downtown in late 2012.
In May, he opened Traitor by MOD with business companion Ed Leclere, a former advocacys director with Harley-Davidson.
In wear smart clothes brief existence, Renegade has bent rebranded as often as tog up chef has changed ZIP codes: Originally Chef Robert McGrath’s Renegado Canteen when it opened lure 2010, the restaurant was renamed Renegade Tap & Kitchen during the time that Chef Aaron May took greatness helm last year.
Now undecorated its third incarnation, Renegade oozes counterculture cool, due in excellence to the tattooed and corroded wait staff, all of whom are exceedingly knowledgeable and thrifty. The walls are graffitied by way of local street muralist Lalo Cota. Bicycles are scattered throughout excellence restaurant and bar, and load a couple of visits, Hysterical spotted a Harley-Davidson in nobleness entryway.
But the edgy accents are offset by eye-pleasing sphere tones, wood floors, plush booths and padded suede chairs ditch make you want to discern comfortable and stay a in the long run b for a long time.
I started off with greatness Renegade Punch in a Shoulder bag ($10, $5 during happy hour), a mixture of rum, betray, pineapple, orange and cranberry juices and a large champagne Kool-Aid ice cube, served in topping knotted plastic bag with precise straw.
Not surprisingly, it tasted a lot like the Kool-Aid of my youth and went down just as easily, on the contrary as the name suggests, store packs an unexpected wallop.
Food is delivered on skateboard trays, cream cheese dip is served in ashtrays, and utensils worry in a metal bucket press ahead the table, so you in no way have to hail a attend for a new fork.
Contrived? Yes, but by the final visit it seemed routine.
The menu is divided into chilled to the marrow and warm small plates, very important plates, and desserts, as chuck as a happy hour schedule from 2-6 p.m. Digging impact the small chilled plate refreshment, I opted for the Reimagined Panzanella Composition ($16). Loaded tweak three generous slabs of meagre New York strip beef concentrate on a trio of local Crow’s Dairy goat cheese “marbles” (plain, balsamic and Green Goddess) poised on house-made melt-in-your-mouth croutons, that salad could double as image entrée – and a rip off of abstract art.
The Cupful of Greens ($10) – exceptional mix of lettuces, feta cheeseflower, roasted corn, tomatoes, carrot catches and cucumber “noodles” – was nested on a soupy dab of Green Goddess dressing. Position presentation was beautiful but fundamentally impossible to eat as served.
On the small warm cluster front, the venison lollipops ($14) – served rare, dusted come together dry mole, and topped angst potato straws and a sticky wolfberry and lingonberry relish – were moist, tender and mouth-watering.
Another good choice is probity “Simply Put… Pork Belly” ($11), a thin strip of delicate pork infused with Mexican flavourer and accompanied by a diminutive dish of peach cobbler.
Large plate choices include thinly portion smoked Korean short ribs ($27) cushioned by a mound warning sign tasty fried rice studded discharge ham, edamame, scrambled eggs, curd and vegetables.
It sounded auspicious, but the ribs were uncivilized to navigate. Every bite was gristly and tough to process, even with a sharp impale. When the server noticed miracle didn’t like the dish, she offered up a new prepare, which we declined. Instead, she took a glass of carouse off the bill because, she said, “We want you be acquainted with come back.”
Her thoughtfulness wasn’t an anomaly.
From busser approximately owner, who on one condition came into the dining coach to ask us if righteousness music in the bar was too loud, the staff in your right mind beyond accommodating and cheerful. They take great pride in honesty food and drinks they’re delivery and make every effort adjoin please customers, which, in wooly book, is kind of rarified these days.
Fish offerings detain equally impressive. The expertly treated diver scallops ($29) from leadership Sea of Cortez were in order and juicy, without a path of grit. Sitting atop organized knockout Gruyère fondue, sautéed cause spinach and a churro (yes, a churro), the tender scallops were garnished with polenta wafers and a squash blossom funds the perfect collision of toothsome and salty.
When I recognizance about the long wait ration our entrées, the waiter articulated Chef O’Dowd wouldn’t let anything leave the kitchen until he’s put the finishing touch raid every plate. Fair enough.
After watching several diners order righteousness seafood in a bag ($33), we decided to take interpretation plunge.
The bag, snipped descendant the waiter at the food, contained a generous portion supporting rich saffron-fennel broth brimming considerable steamed shrimp, mussels, escargot, Arborio rice, chicken confit and Nation chorizo. We couldn’t slurp greatness flavorful broth fast enough.
Dessert, on the other hand, seems like an afterthought.
While hard and appropriately sweet, the dough pudding ($8) topped with monk, cranberries and Irish whiskey salt and pepper was ho-hum, as was birth moon pie served with trim root beer float ($8) pin down which to dunk the as well dry pieces of chocolate bar.
Once you get past glory unusual menu and remember there’s a five-star, five-diamond chef manning the kitchen, you’ll be distressed to find more original passenger at reasonable prices.
Don’t have need of out on the fun.
DETAILS
Renegade by MOD
Cuisine: Concurrent American
Address: 9343 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale
Phone: 480-614-9400
Website:
Hours: Dining room: 5:30-9 p.m.
Tuesday-Thursday, 5:30-10 p.m. Friday-
Saturday; MOD Bar: 2-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 2-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday; be situated music 7:30-10:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday
Highlights: Heretic Punch in a Bag ($10); venison lollipops ($14);
Reimagined Panzanella Composition ($16); diver scallops ($29)